The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has announced that 2025 was one of the three warmest years ever recorded globally, underscoring the intensifying impact of climate change.
The UN weather agency disclosed this in its latest report published on Wednesday, stating that an analysis of eight international climate datasets showed that global average surface temperatures in 2025 were about 1.44 degrees Celsius above the 1850–1900 pre-industrial average.
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“WMO confirms 2025 was one of the warmest years on record. 2025 was one of the three warmest years on record, with the global average surface temperature at 1.44°C ± 0.13°C above the 1850–1900 average, according to WMO’s consolidated analysis of eight datasets,” the organisation said.
According to the report, two of the eight datasets ranked 2025 as the second warmest year in the 176-year global temperature record, while the remaining six placed it as the third warmest.
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The agency noted that the past 11 years have been the warmest in the modern era, with oceans continuing to absorb and retain vast amounts of heat.
Nigeria’s heat crisis
In Nigeria, the rising global temperatures have translated into extreme weather conditions, including unprecedented heatwaves experienced across the country over the past three consecutive years.
Weather agencies, including the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), have repeatedly issued advisories to help residents mitigate the impacts of extreme heat.
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In 2024, NiMet warned that high temperatures could lead to dehydration, heat-related illnesses and respiratory complications, among other chronic conditions. The agency also said northern Nigeria was expected to experience more intense heat than the southern region.
The prolonged heat has worsened the spread of heat-related diseases such as meningitis, particularly in northern Nigeria, raising significant public health concerns.
Similarly, the heatwaves have affected food availability, accessibility and affordability in parts of the country. This has prompted food systems advocates to urge farmers to adopt drought-tolerant and disease-resistant seeds to sustain food production throughout the year.
Long-term impact of emissions
The WMO Secretary-General, Celeste Saulo, said the ranking highlights the long-term effects of greenhouse gas emissions, even during periods of natural cooling.
“The year 2025 started and ended with a cooling La Niña and yet it was still one of the warmest years on record globally because of the accumulation of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in our atmosphere,” he said.
READ ALSO: NiMet forecasts three-day weather across Nigeria from Sunday
The organisation explained that 2025 was marginally cooler than the three-year average from 2023 largely due to La Niña — a climate phenomenon associated with lower global temperatures.
However, it stressed that such short-term cooling does not reverse the underlying warming trend.
The WMO added that elevated land and ocean temperatures in 2025 contributed to extreme weather events, including intense heatwaves, heavy rainfall and deadly tropical cyclones, reinforcing the urgency of investing in early warning systems.
It also confirmed that 2023, 2024 and 2025 were the hottest three-year period on record globally, with 2024 ranking as the single warmest year.
European Union scientists were reported to have corroborated the findings, saying 2025 marked the end of the first three-year period in which average global temperatures exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
They warned that breaching this threshold could trigger severe and potentially irreversible climate impacts.
On her part, Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), said every increase in temperature carries consequences.
“1.5 degrees Celsius is not a cliff edge. However, we know that every fraction of a degree matters, particularly for worsening extreme weather events,” Ms Burgess said.
She added that 2026 is likely to rank among the five warmest years on record, further signalling the urgency of global climate action.
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